Diet Time.

Like many people this time of year, I'm on a diet. (Doesn't the word diet just make you cringe? I know it does me.) I'm not doing a crazy fad diet or anything like that - just trying to eat healthier, eat less and exercise more. If only it were as easy as it sounds! I've been on diets before (who hasn't? and seriously, if you haven't, I kind of hate you) and have a pretty good sense of what works and what doesn't. But when I've dieted in the past, I've found myself eating the same foods over and over again and it got real old, real fast. So I'm looking to spice things up a bit - literally and figuratively!

This go around, I want to prepare a wider variety of foods - all healthy of course! In the past, I've often prepared meals that are simple and have few calories but just aren't that appetizing. I mean, really, how many fat-free turkey sandwiches can a girl eat before she never wants to see one again? So I plan on cooking some new, more appetizing, all-the-while-healthy meals to keep things interesting. For instance, my friend Brytne wrote about these muffins that look delicious and are healthy too. (She actually includes the nutrition facts for every recipe she posts - how great is that?!) These just seem way more appealing than the ones from a box at the grocery store.

A yummy muffin from The Kitchin Table.

I'm really going to be on the search for dishes that I can prepare and are waistline friendly as well. I love to cook but it seems that most recipes I have aren't too calorie conscious. Maybe it's a southern thing but it seems like butter and cheese are heaped onto everything, usually in mass amounts. And while those things certainly make foods taste delish, they also heap extra pounds onto your body. So I'm looking for the happy medium: good tasting food that doesn't add on the pounds.

Do you have any healthy recipes you love and would like to share? If so, feel free to send them my way! I'll be searching my cookbooks and looking online for some fun ones to try out in the mean time!

P.S. I'm already down two pounds since the beginning of the week so I've just gotta keep up the momentum!